Weird computer issue?

[alicatjoy]

I don't know how to explain this very well, so if you can bear with me, that would be appreciated.

For the last couple of days, I've had a computer issue. It's nothing overtly serious, but it's different from the norm and has me concerned. I'm a very OCD person and am always deleting my internet history, cookies, and the like as well as running the disk clean-up. I just like for my computer to run at its best. And, up until now, I have not had an issue. But, on Monday, when I tried to delete the history (and everything else included), it worked, but the screen showing the progress of it deleting the history became frozen. If I hit cancel, it would then show it canceling, but it was still frozen and I would have to end the process through the task manager. The same thing would happen when I tried to put documents or photos in the recycle bin and, again, if I chose to empty the recycle bin. And, where the disk clean-up is concerned, it typically does the same thing -- shows that it is working, but never does and, instead, freezes until I end the task in the task manager. It's not the whole system that freezes, but it does slow everything down.

I purchased my laptop in July of 2009. It's a Toshiba Satellite L305. The processor is Intel(R) Pentium(R) Duel CPU T3400 @ 2.16GHz 2.17GHz. Memory RAM is 3.00 GB and it's a 32 bit operating system. I have Windows Vista Home Premium. When I open the task manager, under performance it shows CPU usage 54% at the moment and memory 1.08 GB. Physical memory total is 2939, cached 2116, free 32. Physical memory is at 37% at the moment. Kernel memory total is 161, paged 96, nonpaged 65. I currently have one tab open on IE and the task manager open. Nothing else. I have run my virus protection software and it comes up clean as well as Windows Defender and Malware Bytes (just installed to ensure I had nothing else going on -- the problem precedes my installing Malware Bytes). I don't have a lot on my computer and have uninstalled any software (ie. games) that could possibly have caused a problem. I defragged my system yesterday, but nothing has changed.

Everything else is running well, but it's driving me crazy that I don't know why I'm having this sudden issue. Any ideas? Please? Thanks in advance!

Edited to add: The laptop may be running a little hot, but that may be because I'm obsessing over everything. I just thought I should mention that in case it makes a difference.

 

[strange_wings]

Go though and check every single one of your running processes. Windows is a resource hog but shouldn't be using that much of the CPU.

Install and run hijack this - if you want, post your report from it and I'll see if I an spot any problems.
Then manually go through and investigate your registry. Often, even when you uninstall programs, you get a fragmented registry that affects system performance. This is the main reason why windows has to be reinstalled from time to time.
Be on the look out for anything that looks odd in your registry, look things up.

Other ways to increase performance is to go in and turn off unneeded services. But that will be something for you to try out some other time. If you insist on using IE I also suggest you increase the security on it, by default 8 isn't set up as well as it should be.

 

[jazzythecat]

54% CPU usage is pretty high (although I've had it at 100% before though

) Browsers do use quite a large amount of memory but I'm cure not that much, the things you have uninstalled may have perhaps not been uninstalled properly. You should reinstall the programs then get rid of them with something like, "Revo Uninstaller" The reason I switched from Internet Explorer to Firefox was because of Internet Explorer freezing when loading pages, I think it happens to many computers. You should run chkdsk, to do so, go to the "Start" menu, go to "Accessories" and select "Run" type "cmd" and press OK. Then you should type chkdsk /f, it should say something like, "The volume is in use by another process etc." It should say (Y/N) select Y and then shut down your computer, start it again and chkdsk will run. You can turn of unneeded services by going into Control Panel, then go into Administrative Tools and select Component Services and turn off whichever ones seem unnecessary. If none of this works, just ask, I'd be happy to help ;]

Jackz, Jazzy & Ginga.

 

[alicatjoy]

Thank you, to both of you, for your help. Unfortunately, however, I'm not having any success. The HijackThis program will not install properly (despite my trying multiple times) and my CPU is now running from anywhere between 50% to 100%. It's possible things may not have uninstalled properly, but they were uninstalled months ago and I have only started having these issues this week. And, while I did do a system restore back to the beginning of the month, nothing seems to be working. Thankfully, I purchased an extended warrantee with my computer and so I think I'll be taking it in for a repair. I'm just so frustrated.

I've uninstalled even more programs today (ie. my GIMP program and a messenger program) and am not seeing any results. In fact, I think I may have made things worse. I think I'm going to have to have my whole operating system removed and then downloaded again. I'm not seeing any other option at this point and that's not something I'd even know how to begin doing. I wouldn't doubt spyware, malware, or viruses, but I've run my programs and they all come up clean. So, would it be that despite being shown otherwise? I wish I knew more about computers when it comes to repair -- I just feel helpless. And, even with the support offered here, I have no idea what is going on.

If I'm missing something, please let me know. I feel bad for not catching on quickly enough and being able to fix the issue. I admit I need help. I just wish I didn't need to bring it in to the store to be repaired. It would be a lot easier if I could just figure out the problem and go from there. I'm going to keep trying, but I am afraid I may be making things worse at this point. And, it doesn't need to be getting worse -- especially when I feel as powerless over the situation as I do.

 

[strange_wings]

Check disk is unneeded for just a software problem.

As I told you, you're going to have to do this manually.

As for computer repair, this sounds like software. That's not computer repair (hardware). You could take your computer in for someone else to hold it for a couple of days just to reformat and reinstall windows, or if you have your windows disc you could do it yourself.

 

[kittymeowmeow]

It is absolutely normal for Vista to run high on CPU. Modern OSes (Vista, 7, Linux flavors, etc) are meant to use as much CPU as it needs to complete all sorts of tasks. Unused CPU is wasted CPU. I run Win 7 and Ubuntu (Lucid Lynx) and they both, normally, run 50% or higher. This is fine as long and isn't always a problem but, if you are having lag issues then there is something going wrong. A high CPU does not necessarily mean there is a problem.

What antivirus are you using? If you're using Norton, get rid of it. Norton is a huge resource hog and shouldn't be used on personal computers. There are far better free AVs out there.

Came across this: http://tips4pc.com/articles/computer...in-windows.htm

See if that helps. I looked through and it doesn't look like anything they're suggestion will hurt anything.

You are heeding my advice and the advice of the link I gave you at your own risk.

 

[jazzythecat]

Yes, if you have Norton, it is not completely capable of removing viruses and such. I use Microsoft Security Essentials and Norton 2010, MSE finds many more viruses, I recently installed my old Windows 98 hard drive into my XP computer, the old hard drive was FILLED with viruses. It was used by my children when they were very young. Norton only found about eight, MSE found around twenty. Microsoft Security Essentials is free and does a far better job than Norton. I would recommend NOD32, it is apparently the best virus scanner nd remover, it costs money but it does the job. This is simply food for thought of course. KittyMeowMeow, you are correct in saying that 'newer' machines run with more CPU usage. I however, thought that she used XP, I am sorry. Though, these virus protectors do a very good job for any system.

Jackz, Jazzy & Ginga.

 

[kittymeowmeow]

Depending on who you talk to, you will get a number of responses on what type of AV to get. From BitDefender to AVG. It all depends on how computer illiterate you are. From you saying you're OCD about your computer, I assume you take multiple precautions while online (You don't open unknown Emails. You have AdBlock, NoScript, Flashblock. You don't go to untrusted websites. Etc). If this is you, then just about any trusted AV will be just fine for you. So, if you are very careful, go for a free AV. There are very good open source AVs, freeware AVs, and online scanners for free.

The only reason I don't like Norton is because it is really, really heavy for machines. In all my experience (Which is a lot), Norton has always been the cause for really slow machines, even when the machines are new, high rated, and have a lot of RAM. Not to mention, it's not free.

With my experience with computers, I don't run any AV. I also have never been infected (I scan with three online scanners at least once a month). I don't recommend this type of behavior for everyone. I only point it out to show that having an AV is not the only security you need. You need smart surfing habits, as well. Even if you ran every AV on your computer, you go to many untrusted sites, download many untrusted programs, etc. You *Will* get infected. Virus writers are always at least one step ahead of the AV writers.

 

[jazzythecat]

I do not like Norton because it has actually caused me Blue Screens. Though, I did have faulty RAM as well. Norton does take up a large amount of CPU Usage, when scanning through a hard drive, it also takes a long time. I would go with something free like, as I have already mentioned, MSE. KittyKittyMeow does seem to have a lot of experience, probably more than me. Either way, I doubt there is anything massively wrong with your system but I would use another type of Virus Scanner.

Jackz, Jazzy & Ginga.

 

[strange_wings]

Supposed to run that high? Just because your Ubuntu does, doesn't mean all flavors of linux are supposed to - though gnome is a terrible resource hog. I use debian unstable as my desktop os and the cpu is currently running at 2% (with quite a bit of stuff open), if I listen to music it'll kick up to around 10-14%. Flash drives it up to 23-27%, but that's because it's flash.

My MIL has vista on her computer. I've stripped a lot of the garbage out of it and iirc just with a couple programs open it stays fairly low, too.

ETA: Looking up the 10.04 cpu issue - it's a bug, not a feature. Investigate it further yourself. Metacity (if you use it) could be the issue, checkbox has caused it, too.

 

[kittymeowmeow]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Supposed to run that high? Just because your Ubuntu does, doesn't mean all flavors of linux are supposed to - though gnome is a terrible resource hog. I use debian unstable as my desktop os and the cpu is currently running at 2% (with quite a bit of stuff open), if I listen to music it'll kick up to around 10-14%. Flash drives it up to 23-27%, but that's because it's flash.

My MIL has vista on her computer. I've stripped a lot of the garbage out of it and iirc just with a couple programs open it stays fairly low, too.

ETA: Looking up the 10.04 cpu issue - it's a bug, not a feature. Investigate it further yourself. Metacity (if you use it) could be the issue, checkbox has caused it, too.

Like I said previously, unused CPU is wasted CPU. The purpose of RAM, processor, etc, is to, well, process stuff. What's the point of having 4 gig memory if you're only going to use a small fraction of it? On all of my computers, I run: Lucid Lynx (Ubuntu 10.04), Intrepid Ibex (Ubuntu 8.10), Windows XP Home, Windows 7. I've ran other OSes, as well. They all run high without me encountering any lag.

My point: It is normal to run high. It is perfectly fine to run high. And, like I said in my previous post, as long as you're not having any lag (Keep an eye on overheating also) then, go ahead and run high. If you are encountering lag, this is a sign of a problem. A high CPU is not.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Originally Posted by JazzyTheCat

Yes, if you have Norton, it is not completely capable of removing viruses and such. I use Microsoft Security Essentials and Norton 2010, MSE finds many more viruses, I recently installed my old Windows 98 hard drive into my XP computer, the old hard drive was FILLED with viruses. It was used by my children when they were very young. Norton only found about eight, MSE found around twenty. Microsoft Security Essentials is free and does a far better job than Norton. I would recommend NOD32, it is apparently the best virus scanner nd remover, it costs money but it does the job. This is simply food for thought of course. KittyMeowMeow, you are correct in saying that 'newer' machines run with more CPU usage. I however, thought that she used XP, I am sorry. Though, these virus protectors do a very good job for any system.

Jackz, Jazzy & Ginga.

Our computer guru just installed the Microsoft Security Essentials on our computers for virus protection and a program called Malwarebytes, which is also free. There is a paid version of the Malwarebytes with some added features and I have just put that on my computer. The Malwarebytes found seven infections and twenty some on another computer we have. According to the man who works on ours, he said it is the only program he knows of where infections don't get past the security programs. We will see.